


Shy

by GreenArchitect



Category: 50/50 (2011), Warrior (2011)
Genre: Awkward Romance, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-10
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-04-03 20:36:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4114135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenArchitect/pseuds/GreenArchitect
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy has moved to Seattle to take a break, A choice which he immediately questions when he sees his new neighbor out of his window.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I think this is going to made up of short chapters but we shall see. Kudos and Comments let me know you want more. ;)

Adam wanted to do something crazy. He'd spent the better part of his life being fucking careful and what good did it do him? He still got a cancer that he couldn't pronounce without looking it up first. And he still got a 50% chance of dying before he saw 40. Despite Kyle's assertions, Adam didn't think his odds were good at all; they were downright shitty if you asked him. Those were the odds that should go to awful people like murderers or people who park like assholes. Not to people like him, who didn't smoke or drink, who even took the time out to recycle! What was the point of spending the extra time to rinse out the plastics and put them in the stupid blue bin, which he stubbed his toes on more often than not on his way to the kitchen for water in the middle of the night? Fuck that recycling bin! He hated it any way. 

In fact he hated it so much that he decided that it could go the way of that terrible painting. So he grabbed his supplies and set fire to the blue menace in the middle of his yard.

It felt good, even if Kyle wasn't there. But in hindsight he probably looked like he had come completely unhinged, sitting in a lawn chair and watching the now black recycle bin begin to smolder.   
\---------

Tommy really hoped he hadn't moved in behind a pyro but this was the second time he'd seen the man set fire to something random in his backyard. He'd known a few pyros back in Pittsburgh and the guy didn't have the same look after setting a fire. This one looked, well, broken down. It reminded him of how he felt when he told Paddy he couldn't train with him anymore. But this stranger's problem wasn't his business and he sure as hell wasn't going to start thinking about Paddy. Paddy was the main reason he left Pittsburgh for this weird ass city with its possible pyromaniac neighbors. Tommy needed a break from everything, not just Paddy. He was happy with the way things were going with Brendan but that relationship was going to take time as well. So, Tommy started looking for new opportunities and found it clean across the country. He felt cautiously hopeful about his new trainer and the fights that he had lined up. After Sparta he found that he had no shortage of event promoters calling and trainers wanting to take him but David seemed like the best choice. 

The guy was ex military and had the same kind of no bullshit attitude that Tommy had, so he figured that it would be the best fit. And so far it had been great, almost perfect.

Except when David would mention socializing or worse, dating. He knew Tommy was bisexual --he came out after one of David's more pressing attempts in an effort to get him to back off. It didn't work in the slightest—and he had went as far as trying to set him up on a blind date. He could only be so annoyed when he was only doing it because he knew what Tommy was going through. He struggled with his own demons too and had just wanted Tommy to avoid the mistakes he'd already made when he chose isolation. "You'll never win if you choose to go it alone." Tommy knew it wasn't the fights the man was referring to.

The worst part was that he was finding that he was a little lonely. It had been a while since he'd made a new friend much less a boyfriend or girlfriend. He thought about getting a dog but he didn't think his schedule would allow it. Maybe a cat then. He looked back up to see what his neighbor was doing and started to chuckle when he saw the man putting the fire out with a hose, looking sheepish. Yeah, he probably wasn't a pyro then.


	2. Chapter 2

Adam couldn't sleep. Again. What else was new? It was either the puking or the depression that kept him from sleep these days so he found himself padding off to the kitchen for some water, Skeletor's nails tapping on the floor as he trailed behind him. He slumped onto the top step of the porch and zoned out for a little while. He was so lost in his own head that he hadn’t notice the new neighbor had stopped jogging by when Skeletor jumped up and wagged his tail at him.

"You are one weird looking dog.” The man chuckled as he scratched Skeletor behind the ear.

"Careful, you might hurt his feelings." Adam smiled wryly as the jogger stiffened.

“Sorry. Didn't mean to be rude." Adam shrugged and shook his head.

“Nah it’s fine. I thought he was pretty pitiful looking when I first saw him. I'm fairly sure the only way you'll hurt his feelings is if you stop petting him." Both men chuckled as Skeletor nudged the guy's hand for more scratches. He cracked a small smile and obliged the weird looking creature. "Do you run every morning?"

"Pretty much." He looked back down at Skeletor with a shrug so Adam took the moment to look over his new neighbor. The guy was bigger than he initially thought from the first time he saw him. He was kind of good looking, and that mouth-. Not that Adam should've been thinking about a near stranger's lips or anything. Even if it had been a long time since he'd gotten laid. Anyway, he wasn't going to risk getting hit just find out whether his new neighbor was into men. He was in enough pain already, thank you very much. “Well, I gotta get in and get back to work 'n at."

"You're from Pittsburgh?” The man lifted his head in surprise, full mouth slightly open.

"Yeah how'd you know?" Shit, the guy was looking at him like he was some stalker. He could almost feel the air change. Dammit!

"Oh I've just worked with a few narrators from Pittsburgh and I recognized the accent. It's pretty distinct. It's cool though. I mean as far as accents go." He knew he was babbling but he really hated feeling awkward, plus he was finally starting to feel his next round of Vicodin kick in. Maybe he'd get some sleep now.

"Oh. Well, yeah, I grew up there." 

"Do you miss it? I can't imagine moving clean across the country."

"What? Yeah. Yinz don't have anything close to a Primanti's sandwich." Adam snorted at the “yinz”. It was actually his favorite of the Pittsburgh vocabulary. He also caught the way man's face changed when he first mentioned Pittsburgh.  Not many good reasons make someone move to the other side of the country. 

"And what is so great about this Primanti's sandwich?” He smirked and leveled Adam with an incredulous look. 

"Everything, ofcourse. Some folks say it's the slaw. Others say it's the fries. Me? I know it's the bread. Can't have a great sandwich with crappy bread.” He gave a small smile and Adam wondered what his full smile was like.

"You Pittsburghers think everything you have is the best."

"We've got a lot of pride. Blue collar city 'n at” His neighbor shrugged and gave Skeletor one last scratch before stretching. And damn if that wasn't thrilling to watch. "I really do need to get back to it. Nice talking to you," he paused.

"Adam."

"Tommy. Nice talking to you, Adam." Adam nodded with a smile he hoped wasn't too eager and watched the other man walk away.

"Cmon boy. Let's see if I can get some sleep."

********  
The next dawn found Adam sitting on his porch again; this time it was the vomiting that forced him to seek out the cool morning air. He was pressing a cold bottle of water to his forehead when he heard tommy's gruff voice call out.

"Hey, you alright?"Adam looked up and grimaced, knowing exactly how bad he looked. He sighed and attempted to say hello or something but a fresh wave of nausea hit so he had to scramble up through the back door, praying he'd atleast make it to the trash can in the kitchen. 

He was still fighting to catch his breath when he felt a soothing coolness on the back of the neck. If he hadn't been just attempting to throw up his bones he would've been embarrassed by the moan he let slip. He had, so he wasn't.  He was, however, grateful that Tommy was willing to ignore it and keep the cool cloth on his neck and waited for Adam to collect himself.

"Thanks. Sorry about that."

"It's alright not like you can control how the chemo hits you."

"H-how'd you know?"

"Uh well my mom-" Tommy cut himself off abruptly but Adam could still put the pieces together enough to know that Tommy had been down this road before.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't do that, man. It's fine. I was just helping out." Tommy was beginning to look like a cornered animal so Adam simply nodded, grateful for Tommy’s presence. 


	3. Chapter 3

The next several weeks found Tommy and Adam crossing paths in the early hours of the morning, Adam on his back porch trying to recover from a night sweat and Tommy coming in from a run. They didn’t usually have long conversations, just long enough for some small talk and for Skeletor to get a good scratch behind the ears. They talked about little things like favorite sports team and food, which always turned into heated but friendly debates about the merits of their hometowns.

“You just need to go somewhere other than the gym.” Tommy had stayed a little longer one morning, going as far to sit next Adam on the porch, and they’d gotten into it again, this time about things to do. 

“Then where do you suggest I go?” Tommy smirked at him while Skeletor begged for more scratches. “And please don’t suggest the Space Needle."

“I wasn’t gonna suggest that! Everyone suggests that.” Adam huffed in annoyance. It might’ve been his initial thought but he’d had the good sense to know better than to suggest something like that. “ Maybe I won’t take you anywhere if you’re gonna be a jerk off.” Tommy laughed at that and shook his head.

“It’s jag-off, first of all. Second of all where could you possibly suggest that wouldn't be more concerned with bein' organic or some shit than being good."

“Well excuse us for wanting to be socially responsible.” Adam grinned and Tommy snorted. “Hey Pittsburgh is following suit too. Aren’t they building a few new bike trails along your famous rivers?"

“Yeah, for the yuppies." Tommy snorted. “So what organic, vegan tofu place are you gonna take me to?” 

Adam blushed at that. It sounded like, well it sounded like a date. He knew Tommy didn’t necessarily mean it that way. Hell, he didn’t even know if the guy swung that way. But still, he wouldn’t have minded if it was a date. Tommy was a decent guy, if a little closed off. And he didn’t feel the need to treat Adam like he was fragile. It was nice and he wanted Tommy to stick around. He cleared his throat before it got awkward, well more awkward since Tommy as already looking at him a little funny. “No! I am going to take you to the greatest burger you have ever had."

“Oh yeah?"

“Yeah."

“We’ll see, Lerner."  
******************

“Alright this is probably one of the better burgers I’ve had in a long time.” Tommy’s mouth was full but Adam seemed only slight grossed out. Probably because he was too busy being smug. It was the first time they’d actually hung out for more than a few minutess and Tommy had to admit that he was enjoying it. Adam was funny and didn’t ask too many questions, which was perfect for Tommy. He didn’t like talking about himself too much and most people seemed bothered by it and that almost never ended well. But Adam was curious but respectful and didn’t pry when Tommy would change the subject. Tommy still hadn’t told Adam about UFC and he wasn’t sure how the other man would react. Reactions ranged from shock (he didn’t understand that one when he was built the way he was) to disgust (UFC wasn’t for everyone after all). He didn’t think Adam would be disgusted but people could surprise you in all kinds of ways. Tommy didn’t like surprises all that much.

“I told you, you jerk! Dick's is the shit!" Adam was grinning again and well, it was nice the way his dimples showed up. It was satisfying to make the man laugh and ease the tired lines from his baby face. Tommy would’ve been lying if he didn’t admit how much he liked it when Adam smiled because of him.

"I dunno about all that." He returned Adam's grin but quickly shifted his gaze to the diner's decor. It was your basic old time burger joint with the long counters and spinning stools. They'd chosen a booth in front of the one of the huge windows and Tommy felt like it was a date. All that was missing was a milkshake with two straws. And Tommy wasn't as put off by the lame idea as much as he would have thought. Get a grip Conlon. He chided himself and took another big bite. He still wasn't sure where Adam was coming from and the other guy was sending mad mixed signals. On one hand he hadn't really flirted with Tommy and kept his hands to himself unlike a lot of people, especially those who turned out to be interested. But Adam didn't seem like the touchy feely type though, so there was that. 

On the other hand they were in what David had called the "gayborhood" and he seemed convinced that this was Adam's way of testing the waters with the fighter.

"Or it could just be a great burger joint that just happens to be in a neighborhood where a lot of gays live." David had scoffed. 

“Conlon are you afraid this guy likes you or something?"

“No.” I’m afraid he doesn’t. Tommy tried not to grumble but David gave him a knowing smile all the same. 

“Why don’t you just ask him out on a date then? One that you both know is a date."

“You goin’ into a burger coma cause it’s so good?” Tommy shook himself from his thoughts and looked up to see Adam still grinning at him smugly

“Oh you cocky now, huh?" He couldn’t help but laugh at how Adam started to peacock just a little.

“When I have reason to be, yes." It was a good look on him. It almost made them both forget that Adam was fighting his battle with cancer.


	4. Chapter 4

“So, Tommy are you seeing anyone out in Seattle?" Brendan tried for casual and only seemed slightly ill at ease. Tommy tried not to laugh as he told them about Adam but honestly it was funny as hell that his bisexuality shocked his brother of all things. It was a relief that, aside from the shock, Brendan really didn't take issue with it and Tess was even better about it. But it was the girls who had the best reaction. For them, it simply opened up a world of new possibilities. They could have a new aunt or a new uncle and that was just the best to them.

"Uncle Tommy, Uncle Tommy! Are you gonna bring us a new aunt or uncle soon?!" Emily shrieked with delight while Rosie grinned widely at her uncle.

“I dunno about all that, Munchkin.” Tommy blushed at their excitement and couldn’t deny he had excitement of his own at the thought of bringing Adam around as his boyfriend.

"You could share your cookies with him. I like it when Frankie gives me one of his M&M cookies."

"You should pick him some flowers, even if he's a boy. Boys should get flowers too."

“I’ll drink to that!” Brendan chuckled and leaned over to ruffle his daughter’s hair and even Tommy had to grin while the girls started giving him advice on how to woo Adam. And some of the ideas weren't half bad.

"Alright my little matchmakers, go clean up and get ready for bed." Tessa beamed at her daughters as they pleaded to be allowed to stay up. Tommy grinned and watched Tessa and his brother end up doing some version of good cop, bad cop that actually worked. Even if it ended with Tommy reading two stories to the girls.  
************************  
When Tommy got back he started to think about how to flirt with Adam without looking like an idiot. He wasn't particularly good at or even familiar with flirting; most of his relationships had been initiated by the other person. The rest were less relationship and more convenient hookups. Probably the saddest part was that a lot of the time he wasn't even aware the other person was interested. But he knew he was definitely interested in Adam and was atleast kind of sure the other man liked him too.

So he took the sage advice of his nieces and invited Adam over for dinner. He’d figured that was his best since his mom had always said The way to a man’s heart was his stomach. He sure as hell loved a good meal.Bless her, even with all her Jesus talk, she still accepted him.  
“You’re my son, Tommy, and that’s not gonna change if you bring a boy home instead of a girl."  
******************************  
“So, uh, Adam I was wonderin' if you wanna to come over. For dinner I mean.” Get your shit together Conlon! Tommy winced at his own shyness and tried not to look too uncomfortable. They were sitting on Adam’s lawn chairs in the backyard once Tommy came in from his morning run. It made him feel good knowing that Adam would even get up early to sit with him now, even if he wasn’t sick or wide awake. “Just, you know, some steaks n’at."

“You cook?” Tommy felt slightly put off by Adam’s surprise. Why were people always so surprised?

“Well yeah, a guy’s gotta eat, right? Not like I can a afford one of them personal chefs.” Actually, after Sparta and all the publicity it brought, he probably could but Tommy was still a blue collar guy at heart and saw no reason to pay someone else to do what his mama already taught him.

“Oh shit, sorry! I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just I’m not the best at anything above grilled cheese and pasta.” 

“You’re a sad excuse for an adult, Lerner.” Tommy chuckled and rolled his eyes. He figured the kid was a ramen kind of guy from the looks of him but the reality wasn’t much better. 

“Yeah? Well you sure do hang out with this sad excuse a lot.” Those dimples were 

“You’re my good deed to get me into heaven."

“Fuck you.” Both men grinned a bit before Tommy spoke again.

“But really why don’t you come by around 5 and I’ll show you some things."

“About cooking?” Coming from someone else the innuendo would have been sexy but from Adam it came out ridiculously. Tommy grinned anyway because it gave him a little more confidence about their possibility. 

“See you tonight, Lerner."


	5. Chapter 5

Adam was so nervous that he had changed out of three similar shirts in the last hour. He cursed his skinnier form and stroked his cueball smooth head. He sighed and gave up before he ended up losing his nerves. He's seen you trying to puke up your bones so anything is an improvement. The young man snorted and made his way out of the door, petting Skeletor on his way. "Wish me luck." The strange looking dog blinked watery eyes and yawned in response. “Thanks, buddy." He shook his head and crossed the alleyway that separated their yards. He could see Tommy through the kitchen. He looked good, hell he always looked good to Adam. Especially when the man was still sweating and panting from his morning runs. The whole thing made Adam blush. Get a grip Lerner!

"You gonna stand out there and admire my weeds or are you gonna to come in and peel some potatoes?"

"I think you just want the free labor." Adam snorted and joined Tommy in the kitchen. “Wow, it smells great in here already!" Tommy went a bit pink at that and rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"Yeah, well it ain't done yet. Wash your hands and I'll show you how to make Shepherd’s pie. Grab an apron by the fridge if you want one." He gestured to the row of hooks where a plain white apron was hanging. And that's when Adam noticed it's twin wrapped around the thick frame of the other man. Well maybe not it's twin, Tommy's was covered in a rainbow of small hand prints and stick figure drawings. It was the cutest thing he seen in a while. "My nieces, Emily and Rosie." Tommy smooth to clean hand down the front lovingly, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah? Your cookies must be the best to earn you the title of 'best cookie maker ever'." Adam read violently pink proclamation crawled across the broad chest. Tommy chuckled and Adam decided that he really, really liked the crooked grin.

"Yeah, well, if you don't stop jaw jackin', we won't even get to the food part." Tommy grinned and turned to stir the onions that were sautéing on the stove. And Adam smiled to himself and tugged on the spare apron.

"So what's this Shepherds pie?" Adam came to the stove and took the potatoes before beginning to peel them.

"Comfort food. Simple, but filling. Watch your fingers with that knife, it's sharp. Anyway, Shepherds pie is any kind of meat you've got as the first layer, then vegetables like peas, carrots, celery, whatever you've got laying around really, and top it off with some mashed potatoes. Not that boxed shit though, gotta be from scratch. Some folks put cheese on top but I like it with homemade gravy." Tommy had begun to dice some carrots. The combination of the low, rough Pittsburgh accent and the rhythmic rocking of the knife was so soothing that Adam had all but forgotten what he was doing. This was really nice and it had been a while since the smell of food didn't turn his stomach. And then there was Tommy, how could he still be so sexy and an apron covered in little kid drawings?

"Ouch!" Adams knife clattered to the floor as he brought his bleeding hand to his mouth.

"C'mere. Lemme see." Tommy calmly took his hand and examined the bloody cut. "All right, let's rinse it off and see whether you've ruined dinner." Tommy was doing a terrible job of hiding his smart but he was stroking Adam’s hand so soothingly that the other man could only make a weak come back

"Fuck you, Conlon." It came out to soft but Tommy chuckled all the same, while he held Adam's hand under the water.

"And let you bleed all over my kitchen? Nah." He held at Adams hand up and hummed. "Well you didn't do too much damage but you should let me clean it and wrap it to make sure infection doesn’t happen. You’ve got to be careful with that while you’re on chemo." Tommy's demeanor has changed a bit. He was still gentle but his focus on Adam was singular and the man had become a sort of authoritative in a way that calmed Adam and made him almost forget that he was just dripping blood onto the floor.

"Yeah," He gulped, feeling the flush of embarrassment. What the hell are you doing, Lerner? "Whatever you say." Tommy chuckled and shook his head while he guided Adam to a chair.

"If you would've done that in the first place, you'd be done with the potatoes by now." The bigger man snorted and patted Adams shoulder before going into get the bathroom. When he returned he set down a first aid kit that looked like it was built for war. rather than someone’s medicine cabinet.

"Shit! Are you a paramedic or something?" The kit was neatly packed with every medical supply Adam could think of and even more that he was pretty sure he had only seen in the doctors office. Tommy gave a small smile at that and took Adam's hand, wiping the cut with an alcohol wipe.

"Nah. Just like to be prepared when pretty boys hurt themselves." He smiled then froze, realizing what he'd just said. They both stared at each other for several long moments. He thinks I'm pretty? Adam really blushed at that. He’d been called pretty before but not with fondness. "Look I didn't mean th-that as a bad thing – it's just – you know –" Tommy stumbled over the words tumbling out of his mouth and Adam flushed deeper still. Tommy was nervous? What the hell for? Adam was the frail, sickly one while he was looking like some kind of gladiator. Adam rolled his eyes at the absurdity of the whole thing.

"So you bring pr– pretty boys home often?" He wanted to sound smooth but his nervousness won over and his voice cracked. It was no matter because Tommy still chuckled and shook his head.

"Nah. Just you."

"Good." Adam blushed at his own boldness but the other man seemed relieved. They grinned and stole looks at each other until Tommy finished wrapping his hand and let go, almost reluctantly.

"I'll put you on stirring duty then. Think you can manage that?"

"Go fuck yourself, Conlon." Adam huffed but couldn't suppress a small smile.

"Whatever you say, pretty boy." Tommy grand and patted back into the bathroom with the first aid kit. Adam took his revenge by openly ugly in the way Tommy's muscles move beneath his t-tshirt. Which backfired spectacularly when he found himself half hard throughout the rest of the dinner preparations and well into the dinner itself. Thankfully they fell back into their usual routine of banter and a little bit of shit talking so there was a good chance Tommy hadn't even noticed.

"So what do you think?" Tommy took a swig of beer and Adam completely lost track of what he was asking.

"What? Adam started a bit and Tommy court and eyebrow. "Oh! Yeah, the food. It tastes great. Aside from the knife incident I'm surprised how easy it was." He chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, might need to work on your knife skills though."

"You sure you want to risk having me bleed all over your kitchen again?" Both men laughed lightly and Tommy leaned back in his chair and watched Adam quietly, grey eyes intense but not in a bad way. It felt more like Tommy was just trying to see what there was to see. Adam took that as permission to do his own looking as well. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before Tommy cleared his throat and began gathering the dishes.

"Don't worry, Babyface. I'll make sure you don't get hurt." Then he went leaving Adam to blush and sputter.

"Babyface? Really?!" Was the reply he settled on, though he had kind of like the way Tommy said it. All he could hear was a gruff chuckle and when he looked toward the kitchen there was Tommy wearing his apron again, Adams apron hanging from his fingers along with–.

"Do those dish gloves have flowers on them?” Tommy shrugged.

"Rosie pick them out. See, I told you I'd take care of ya, Babyface." And there was that stupid small grin that made Adam laugh until his chest started to hurt a little bit.


	6. Chapter 6

Things with Adam we're going great, better than great really. Adam was still struggling not to burn grilled cheese but that just made it easier for Tommy to pretend that was the only reason he was inviting the man over. He still wasn't sure if Adam was into guys and Tommy didn't wasn't going to throw away a perfectly good friendship on a semi hunch. So he'd wait it out.

In the meantime there were bad days too, ofcourse. Days where the chemo hit Adam so hard and made him so weak that he couldn't hardly move. Those days were the worst and they couldn't pretend Adam wasn't battling a disease that had a 50% chance of killing him. Adam was very stoic about it all and refused Tommy's offers to help him which was all well and good until he fell on his way to the bedroom. That was the straw that broke the camel's back as it were. Tommy had, against his better judgment, let Adam be independent even though every time the man refused help, the fighter still heard his own mother's weak assurances. Things hadn't been ok then and they sure as hell werent now. It hurt but he knew what it was like to have someone coddle you. Brendan had nearly drove him insane when Paddy had let slip that he was trying to kick the pills.

But when he heard Adam fall he couldn't take it any more. He wasn't a helpless kid now.  
"That's enough." His voice was as gentle as his hands as he slid his hands under Adam’s knees and shoulders, easing his head onto his own broad shoulder.”I’ll let you handle the rest but just-just lemme do this, alright?”Adam was quiet but Tommy felt the small nod.

He sighed with relief, something he grew to do each time Adam relented and let Tommy take care of him. He knew how hard the other man tried to be strong and that was one of the many things that made the fighter fall in love with him.

********  
Ofcourse Tommy still hadn’t gotten around to telling Adam about MMA and realizing he was falling for the other man didn’t make him want to do it any faster. Still, he ran out of time when he signed up for a tournament that was going to take him all the way to Texas. He guess he’d lucked out with having fights that were in the city or only a few hours out. But this tournament was going to take several days with travel and everything and he didn’t want to just disappear without a heads up. Adam had enough to worry about; he didn’t need Tommy to go acting like a jackass.

He still didn’t know how Adam would react though, so he was sweating bullets when he decided to tell him a few weeks before the hardcore training started. They’d just settled in with some dessert on the back porch, Skeleton begging with his watery eyes. “So I’m gonna be a bit scarce for the next coupl’a weeks and-uh- I just wanted to let you know. Just a work thing, you know.” He tried for casual, clinging to the hope that maybe Adam would assume he just worked some boring 9 to 5 like almost everyone else. Stupid, right? He was surprised when Adam started laughing out of nowhere.

“We’ve been hanging out for weeks and we’ve never talked about what we do for a living. That’s a bit weird.” Ok it wasn’t because Tommyhad done his best to avoid the topic.

“More interesting things to talk about I guess.” The fighter chuckled and Adam nodded.

“Yeah unless you’re some masked vigilante who fights for justice. That would be kinda hot.” Adam was joking, maybe the fighting would be a turn on, and he probably wasn’t going to get a better opening than that. 

“Well actually, I fight for money.” Adam snorted but got a bit quiet when he saw that Tommy wasn’t laughing.” Totally legal though. We got refs an’ everything. Even got paramedics on site too.” He winced when Adam’s eyes widened at the mention of the medics.

”So you’re a boxer?"

MMA, Mixed Martial Arts, actually.” Tommy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. It was going better than he had thought.

“To be honest I don’t know much about MMA. I do know it looks brutal."

“Oh it’s just a style of competition where anything goes. Muy Thai, Jujitsu, Boxing, pretty much anything, you know."

“Wow you know all those? I only recognized Boxing.”Adam raised his eyebrows in surprise.”Do you have a fight coming up?"

“Yeah. Training is gonna get pretty intense I won’t have as many free nights. Didn’t want you to worry or think I didn’t wanna hang out. You got enough to worry about.” He blushed and looked away. He kinda felt like a chump but then Adam kissed his cheek and his brain went a bit fuzzy.

“You’re a good guy, Conlon.” The fighter looked up to see Adam blushing just as hard.

“Yeah?” He leaned in bit closer, eyes flicking between Adam’s mouth and his eyes He really wanted to kiss the other man and he seemed into it too but still Tommy moved slowly until Adam closed the small gap with an amused huff.

*******  
As far as kisses went this was the most chaste Tommy had had since he was a preteen experimenting with one of his wrestling teammates after practice. Adam’s lips were warm despite the cooler air and it made the other man lean into it until it became a lot less chaste and Adam pulled away, flushed and panting, with a dirty grin that man Tommy’s fingers itch to touch him.

“Easy there, Conlon. Not on the porch.” They both grinned.

“Well you can’t be kissing guys and not expect to be kissed back."

“I’ll keep that in mind."

You do that, Babyface.” Adam rolled his eyes but leaned in to kiss the fighter again who chuckled and murmured against his lips. “What happened to not on the porch, Lerner?” He felt giddy in that moment. Not only did Adam not seem to mind the MMA stuff but he wanted to kiss him too!

“Shut up and kiss me."

“Whatever you say, Babyface."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always the comments let me know you like it and want more. Even if it is just a cute emoticon. :D Comments are like a digital hug for me.


	7. Chapter 7

Adam wasn’t lying about not knowing anything about MMA so he called up Kyle who seemed to know a little bit about everything. He left out the part about dating Tommy because honestly he didn’t know what they were doing. They’d only kissed a week ago but he hadn’t really had the time to talk to the fighter since he was training from sun up to sundown.  
It didn’t seem fair to start announcing that they were dating yet. Also Kyle didn’t exactly know about him liking men either so Adam wasn’t really in a hurry. He was sure that Kyle would be ok but still it would be awkward because Kyle was awkward.

********  
“MMA?! Dude that shit is sick! Like they just go nuts in this cage!” Kyle was gesturing excitedly as soon as Adm brought it up while they waited in line for coffee. “Why ya wanna know about that? Are you looking to do some dare devil stuff because you think this is your last chance? I dunno about that, man. I-I mean if you wanna do stuff, I’ll help but uh-"

“No! No- I-uh just- my new neighbor is a MMA fighter and he’s got a tournament in Texas. I was just curious and I didn’t wanna look like a complete idiot asking stupid questions. I figured you’d know something."

"You mean the Golden Gladiator Tournament? Sweet! I was actually planning on watching that. I heard about it on tv and thought it was worth checking out. There was this one dude- uh Tony Conlon, I think- I dunno but he was a monster, man. Like not huge but he got in the cage and went nuts!

“Tommy Conlon?"

“Yeah! Wait, is that your neighbor?” Adam nodded as they moved up in the line. “ Dude, he’s a fucking gorrilla!”

“Really?” Adam found that hard to believe. Sure he was pretty muscled, but Tommy was a laid back, soft spoken guy who wore an apron covered in little kid drawings.

“Yeah, wait til you see him in action. You should come over. We’ll smoke a bowl and watch your neighbor kick some ass."

***********  
Adam didn’t know if it would be good or bad to tell Tommy that he was planning on watching the tournament so he simply kept it to himself. He did wish him luck the morning of the tournament and was surprised when he got a response. "Thanks Babyface."

He felt like an idiot blushing the way he did but Tommy just had that kind of effect on him. He liked him a lot and felt like the other man liked him just as much. He almost wished the tournament wasn't happening because then maybe they could have talked a bit about the relationship but that was all in theory. Tommy wasn't always the most talkative guy in the world and Adam got the feeling discussing feelings wasn't something that he did a lot of while growing up. Outside of stories about his neices, Tommy gave very little information about himself. Including what he did for a living. He had assured Adam that it was all legal which kind of made Adam laugh because he seemed sure Adam was going to assume that it wasn't. What was it about MMA that made him not want to tell Adam about it? He supposed he'd find out soon enough though.

“We’ve got a hell of a fight tonight folks! Tommy Conlon is here and he’s got a lot to prove after Sparta."

“No kidding! I was shocked when his brother ended up winning!"

“His brother? He never told me his brother fought too.” Adam frowned as the announcers went on about the Sparta tournament.

“Well, he did for that tournament. He’s actually a high school teacher. Did it cause they needed the money. Tommy ever tell you way he got into it? Not much outside of his time with the marines is online,"

“Marines? I didn’t know that.” Adam felt a bit lost. He was sure Tommy had a good reason but still, Adam felt like they would need to work on that.

“Yeah apparently he went AWOL or something. But then he saved the lives of a bunch of other marines. It’s crazy but from what you said, your neighbor doesn’t sound like the same guy. Maybe you got his name wrong."

“I got his name right, you idiot.” Adam snorted and swiped the bong from Kyle and took a hit as some loud metal music began to play and a guy wearing comically bright blue shorts went into the ring. Adam didn’t catch his name because the camera was panning to the left and there was Tommy, dressed in black shorts and shirtless as he made his way to ring.  
He looked so different. The kind smile and soft eyes were gone leaving something hard and dark. It was like he was a completely different man altogether and for a few moments Adam really did second guess himself on his Tommy’s last name. “Wow.” Was the only response he had.

“Wait till you see him fight.” Kyle scooted to the edge of the couch as the referee called out the rules and both fighters nodded, waiting for the referee to move out of the way. It was a moment of silent tension before the signal and then Tommy exploded into a flurry of fists, knocking out his opponent in a matter of seconds. Strangely enough, Tommy didn’t stay in the ring to enjoy the roar of the crowd, instead he stormed from the cage with his face a picture of stone. “Damn!” Kyle gaped.

“Yeah.” Adam agreed, equally shocked.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short split chapter. Tommy boy is distracted by his pretty boy!

Tommy was a bit nervous after his first fight. It was just a stupid comment from a reporter that started it but it worried him all the same.

"So Tommy, have you got anyone special cheering for you? " It had been the low key question from one of the nicer reporters but it made him think of Adam ofcourse. He hadn't said anything about watching, hell he didn't even have a clue about it, so why would he start? But still he might. He was smart and liked learning new stuff so it wasn’t completely impossible. The idea of it worried him more than he was prepared for and threw him off.

"Tommy, what happened out there?"

“Nothin'. I won didn’t I?" He brushed David off as he entered the locker room and chugged two bottles of water.

"You were sloppy as hell!" Tommy deflated little then he got pissed at himself. Why was he so worried about Adam seeing what he did? It was what he loved! David gave him space for a few but later he asked gently. "What? What is it?"

“Nothin'."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't nothin' that made you leave your sides open more times than I'd like to think about." David was giving him that look that made me feel like he could read him like a book. So rather than lash out, he grunted noncommittally. "Fine, but you better figure it out, Conlon." David sighed and tossed the fighter a towel before he nodded it did and stormed out of the locker room into the roaring crowd.

********  
"Come on man, quit pissin'! Tommy's up again.” Adam snorted as he dried his hands off and flopped onto the couch in time to see Tommy slam his opponent onto the mat. He wasn't sure what was more painful, watching someone being dropped on their back or hearing the impact itself. "Oh shit!” Adam heard himself say is Tommy was flipped over in the other fighter began pounding on him. The commentators seemed just as surprised.

"Looks like Tommy's s little bit distracted tonight."

“Yeah! And Jenkins is going to take full advantage of it. Conlon better get his ass in gear before we see a repeat of Sparta." The other commentator swore loudly and Adam turned to Kyle.

"What's Sparta?"

"Some huge tournament that he ended up having to fight his brother in. Brutal!"

"What happened?"

"He lost and fucked his shoulder."

"Ouch!” Adam winced in sympathy as he took another hit from the bong.

"Yeah, but apparently that's not all. Dude went AWOL while he was in the Marines. But then he eded saving a bunch of guys too.” Adam raised a brow at that. Tommy had a hell of the past! And wonder he didn't talk about it.

“Shit."

"You're telling me. I still wouldn’t wanna meet up with him in a dark alley." Adam snickered at the thought of Tommy and his apron with its bright colored drawings. "What?"

"Nothing.” Adam grinned at his friend who looked at him like he was insane.

"Oh you think you're safe because you don't think he'd beat up someone with cancer, you cueball lookin' motherfucker."

"Yep.” Adam felt smug. It was probably a safe bet that he was one of the few people who even knew that Tommy baked. And that only made Adam grin even more. At least until he heard Kyle yelling and saw Tommy hemmed up against the cage wall while the other fighter threw his fists and knees into Tommy sides and shoulders.


	9. Chapter 9

Tommy knew he was in trouble after he let Jenkins cage him in. He knew he was well and truly fucked when the kid started focusing on his shoulder. David had been right, the guy was green but he was a fast learner and he'd clearly done his homework on Tommy. Jenkins gave him a particularly vicious knee to the bad shoulder, making him lean forward to compensate for the sudden wrenching motion. He only grunted in pain but refused to go down. Too bad Jenkins was smarter than he looked and slammed his fists against the newly injured shoulder, knocking him to his knees. He could hear the roar of the crowd change as Jenkins leapt on him with the flurry of fists. He guarded his face well, but Tommy knew it would be a done deal for him if he didn't find a way out.

"Didn't think you'd be so easy, dude." Jenkins sounded more surprised than smug but it was enough to piss Tommy off. He took a chance and left his face unguarded so he could grab his left shoulder on the next hit to bring him down enough to hook his right arm around his neck, pulling his face to the mat. Naturally, Jenkins tried to wriggle away but Tommy had already planted his feet with his knees braced against Jenkins' hips, immobilizing him. He easily rolled them from there. Jenkins' hands flew to his face but Tommy wasn't going to take the bait and get pinned again. Instead he pummeled his opponent's ribs until Jenkins tried to roll them and ended up on his stomach. Before he could realize his mistake, Tommy had his windpipe compressed under his forearm. Jenkins gave a good try but still passed out. As usual Tommy stormed from the cage and into the locker room but didn't stop until he crashed through the emergency exit and out onto the fire scape, where he paced the small area.

His head was spinning as he replayed the fight. He made a rookie mistake because he was distracted by something that shouldn't have even mattered! So what if Adam watched; it wasn't like he didn't know! Tommy was upfront about it. Just like the army shrink told him. He snorted; he hated those sessions.

"Tommy – man, what's going on?" David stepped out onto the fire escape. When he didn't answer the other man sighed. "Is it about your family? Somethin' going on?" Told me snorted and rolled his eyes. “What the hell am I supposed to think? If I didn't know any better I'd be wondering if you were planning to start throwing fights." Tommy turned to him and looked at him like he gone crazy. "What is it then?"

"I've got someone watching. Maybe." He huffed and looked away. David went quiet.

"Tommy, look I – it's fine if you want a new trainer."

"What?" Tommy squinted at him and shook his head. "No, no man. It's just this guy. Adam." Tommy huffed again. He really didn’t want to tell David that he was into Adam but the guy was gonna figure it out anyway.

"You got it bad. When this happen?"

“I don’t have anything bad!” Tommy groused. “I met him few months ago. He’s my neighbor. We hang out sometimes when I come in from runs and he’s on his porch.” He didn’t tell David about the cooking lesson because the guy would have a field day with that information.

David let out a sigh relief. "Man I thought you were losing your edge!” Tommy snorted and and leaned on the railing. "But seriously, your gonna hafta get over your lovesickness before your boy toy has to watch you get your ass kicked."

"He's not my boy toy." Tommy huffed and stomped back into the locker room.

"I'm serious, call him and see if he's watching. If he isn't, great. If he is, well suck it up." Tommy gave him a hard look. "You got two options. Call him or figure it out yourself." David continued unphased.

"Not gonna call him." They weren't even dating! He had no reason to even be thinking about Adam watching. And he wasn't going to call!

Hey. T

Hey. A

You OK? A

Yeah. T

Mostly. T

Mostly? What does that even mean? A

Can I ask a question? T

OK? A

U watchin my fights tonight? T

Yeah? A

Is that OK? A

(Delayed) Sure. I just was curious.

Are you sure? We can turn it off. A

We? T

Yeah, my friend Kyle. He drives me to chemo. He doesn't believe you're my neighbor or that we're friends. A

Are you sure you're OK? A

Worried bout me pretty boy? T

Shut up. You didn't tell me that you tried to kill each other. I thought that one guy wasn't going to get back up. A

Do u need a pic? T

No! A

Ur worried. It's kinda cute. T

You just want to show off. A

Maybe. T

(Pic of Tommy grinning in front of a mirror covered in sweat and several ugly bruises)

Definitely a show off. A

Do you always look like shit during 20 minutes? A

Thanks, Lerner. T

Sorry but really your ribs have to be bruised at least. A

U sound like my mom. T

Sorry. A

It's OK. T

Look I got to go. Try not to worry so much. Can't let ur baby face get all wrinkled. T

Fuck you Conlin. A

Ur supposed wish me luck. T

Try to come back in one piece OK? A

Whatever u say Babyface. T

Fuck you. A

That means ur blushin. T

No it means fuck you. I hope you get your ass kicked. A

Now ur just sweet talkin me. T

Go do your job. A


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey Babyface.” Adam couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he saw the fighter’s FaceTime invite. He looked like hell but his smile still made Adam chuckle. That and the copious amounts of weed in his system.

"Babyface?"

"Who's that?"

Adams head shot up as he realize that Kyle had returned from the kitchen.

"Um that's Kyle." He muttered as he rubbed his head and laughed nervously. This was not at all how he wanted them to meet. How was he even supposed to introduce Tommy? /He/ didn't even know what they were! "Kyle, that's Tommy."

"OK."

"Dude! Seriously?!" Adam could barely hear Tommy's noncommittal response over Kyle. Tommy raised an eyebrow and Adam sighed.

"Calm down, idiot.” Adam groaned and made a hasty retreat to his back porch. "Sorry about that. He's an embarrassment." Tommy snorted.

"Right." The two men looked at each other awkwardly while Adam’s foggy brain tried to focus on more than how kissable Tommy looked."You gonna to congratulate me for winnin' or what?" A small smile was tugging at Tommy's lips and Adam felt his ears go red as he got distracted by the movement.

"I hate you so much." He rolled his eyes, trying once more to change his focus.

"Aw c’mon Babyface. Aren't you proud of me?” He teased and grinned, which only made Adam stomach flip a little more. He really wanted Tommy to come home. Fuck that was sappy. Get it together, Lerner.

"I'm just glad you didn't get into a coma." Tommy chuckled, making his soft smile widen. It was hard to believe anything about him could be soft after watching him fight but the smile brought the cooking lessons and the quiet moments on his porch to mind.

Tommy rubbed his face tiredly."Thanks. Look, I gotta go but I'll be home tomorrow. Wanna go to that burger joint?" Adam tried not to look too eager. There was no way that sounding needy was going to go over well, even if Tommy wanted to be in a relationship. "Won't you be tired though?" Tommy's face felt little was he nodded. "I mean I don't –“ He blinked stupidly as he watched the conversation go to hell in a hand basket, in slow motion.

"Nah. You're right. I should just go home." Tommy's voice was clipped and his lips were pursed in agitation and Adam knew he should be backtracking or doing something but he was so distracted by the tension in Tommy’s jaw. He licked his lips a few times and tried to think of something to say, preferably something clever. Before he could, though, Tommy cut in. "I'll see you around Adam.”

“O-ok. See you.” Adam frowned and hung up. “That could have gone better."


	11. Chapter 11

"Why don’t you just call him? I mean, I dunno what gay guys like but you know- it can’t be a bad thing, yeah?” Kyle suggested while he drove them to work. Adam sighed; he'd spent the next few days kicking himself because honestly, did he really let his own stupid pride get in the way of spending time with Tommy?

“Because what am I supposed to say?” Adam groaned and let his head hit the headrest with a thump.

“That you were stoned off your ass and you panicked like a little bitch.” Kyle shrugged nonchalantly and sipped his coffee. “I mean I’m sure he’s into that if he’s asking you out and shit-Hey don’t look at me like that!” He howled with laughter as Adam gave him a murderous look. “Just call your boyfriend so I don’t have to watch you look like somebody shot your dog.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Hey you got a minute? A

Yeah? T

Look I’m sorry about the other day. I panicked. A

(Delayed) You panicked? You scared of me now?T

What?! No! A  
I just didn’t want you to think I was too eager. A

Don’t take this the wrong way Babyface but that ain’t a bad thing. T

Are you sure? A  
I mean you don’t seem to be the type to like that kind of thing. A

You’re supposed to be the smarter one is this outfit, you know. T

Shut up. You’re just as smart as I am. A  
Can we get that burger? A

Say no more. Meet me outside? T

“So you really panicked cause you wanted to go out with me?” Tommy smirked and Adam felt his stomach flip alittle. He was really starting to love that part of the man.

“Yeah-I know it sounds crazy but I was high and I didn’t want to mess things up before-” He trailed off sheepishly. He really wanted things to work between them. Tommy said nothing, he just continued to grin which only made Adam want to kiss him. “Stop doing that.” He huffed but couldn’t hide his own grin. He couldn’t help but smile when Tommy looked at him like that.

“What?” He chuckled and took a big bite of his burger.

“You’re being a tease."

“A tease? I thought I’d hafta take something off to be a tease.” Tommy grinned wider and took another bite.

“Yes, well, I didn’t mean that kind of tease. You’re teasing me for wanting this to work out.” Adam huffed and sipped on his drink.

“Nah, I’m teasing you cause it’s actually kinda cute. I ain’t had a serious relationship really.” He took a swig of his beer and continued. “It’s nice.” He shrugged sheepishly.

"Nice." Adam looked at him warily. He had a hard time thinking that a guy like Tommy would even be interested in that.

"Yeah. Nice.” Tommy shrugged nonchalantly though Adam saw something in his eyes falter a little. He was

“So this is turning into a serious relationship?” He couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked at the bigger man looking adorable.

“Well I mean-“ Tommy stammered. “If that’s cool with you.”

“Yeah it’s cool with me, tough guy.” He teased and grinned at the relieved lopsided grin he received for his trouble.


	12. Chapter 12

After the incident, both men decided to do the thing properly and go on a date with all their cards on the table. Naturally it didn’t go so well.  
So fancy restaurants with dress codes aren’t really our thing.” Adam announced with a snort as they made their way down the street, the scandalized maitre d still glaring after them.

“Well in my defense I didn’t know that they was for real y’know? Thought that fancy pants stuff was just in the movies.” Tommy chuckled sheepishly. He’d felt pretty embarassed and a bit angry at himself for being so stupid but he didn’t really have long before Adam was tugging him away and telling him it was a stupid idea anyway. It made Tommy defuse almost immediately when those dimples came out because of him and how he made Adam happy even if he messed up.

“Well I thought we were dressed just find but I guess not! What now then?"  
“Well we could go to that burger joint? That’s kinda become our place."

“We have a place now?” Adam quirked an eyebrow though he found he liked the thought. Tommy caught the softened toned and smirked.

“Yeah. It was where we had our first unofficial date and where we decided we wanted to be serious."

“True. Lead the way then.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“So what’re we gonna do about dates then? I meant it when I said I wanted to do the thing right.” Tommy started once they’d been seated and had ordered. Adam thought for a moment as he ran a finger over his sweating glass of Pepsi.

“Mmm well maybe not try so hard and just plan things that we know we already like.” He shrugged. “That’s definitely what went wrong tonight, right? I was treating you like my ex. She would’ve loved that place and I guess I was just trying’ to impress you.”

“Aw Babyface. You already impress me. I mean I don’t know who else can look friggin adorable and scary as hell when he’s mad?” Tommy teased but threw his rolled up straw wrapper at the other man. “You’re real strong though and smart. Smarter than me.” He added, eyes softening just a little.

“You gettin’ soft on me, Conlon.” Adam tried to hide his enjoyment with the dig.

“Only for you, Babyface.” Tommy winked. “You got dibs on planning the first date."

“What?! Why?"

“I told ya. You’re the smart one in this outfit."

**Author's Note:**

> Got a prompt? Pairing? Lyrics that scream your OTP? Come talk to me on Tumblr(@nerdwithapen) or the comments about writing a drabble for you!


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